Jehovah's Witnesses Straight Talk - Forum/Blog

1John.3:6 Whoever remains in him doesn't sin. Whoever sins hasn't seen him, neither knows him.

Who of us does not sin? What is the apostle John speaking here, babble? To compound this problem further leaving us hopeless, if we sin, we haven't seen him, or neither do we know him!

Romans 7:18 For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwells no good thing. For desire is present with me, but I don't find it doing that which is good.

1 John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

Here is the starting point for anyone of us thinking we can make ourselves righteous by a religion, or following some rule within our bibles, because none of us stop sinning. We are dead in the water so to speak before we even start to serve God.

Ephesians 2:1 You were made alive when you were dead in transgressions and sins,

How can we teach others about God from some religion if we can't stop sinning? Do we see that? Lets not lie to ourselves and confess we don't sin! If we don't know him, or we can't see him Christ as he actually is, how can we teach or preach about him? Moreover, if we can't even unravel the apostles John's words above for our students, why should we teach others? Ignoring John's words, avoiding them is not coming to the light, now is it?

John 3:21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his works may be revealed, that they have been done in God."

Sin is darkness, it separates us from the light, who is God, and his Son Christ Jesus, so how does a blind person teach sight to others? How does darkness teach us light? Furthermore, how can a person put any faith in men to save us, when all fall short of God's glory because they have all sinned?

Romans 2:19 and are confident that you yourself are a guide of the blind, a light to those who are in darkness.

Bottom line, and never move away from this bottom line our salvation depends upon God's undeserved kindness, not our good efforts or how much we love God ways, we cannot, we cannot save ourselves or know God unless he is moved from his own heart to help us not be a sinner. This is why when a person, religion, or organized group of people think they are speaking for God and they never speak of unmerited kindness of God, or grace, and/or undeserved kindness they believe they have saved themselves by not trying to sin in leading a good life by application of the bible in their lives which is a lie!

John 15:3 You are already pruned clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.

Proverbs 16:2 All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but Yahweh weighs the motives.

Proverbs 20:9 Who can say, "I have made my heart pure. I am clean and without sin?"

1 Peter 3:21 This is a symbol of baptism, which now saves you--not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

If the last thing on the tongue is God's love, then we are not living or understanding undeserved kindness as God's most, and greatest gift given to us freely. If the thoughts of research, association with our group, its books, and teaching is all we talk about, we have missed the undeserved kindness of God that without we cannot know him or see him at all!

Revelation 22:21 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with all the saints. Amen.

Jude 1:4 For there are certain men who crept in secretly, even those who were long ago written about for this condemnation: ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying our only Master, God, and Lord, Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 5:12 Through Silvanus, our faithful brother, as I consider him, I have written to you briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God in which you stand.

1 Peter 4:10 As each has received a gift, employ it in serving one another, as good managers of the grace of God in its various forms.

James 4:6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."{Proverbs 3:34}

Hebrews 13:9 Don't be carried away by various and strange teachings, for it is good that the heart be established by grace, not by food, through which those who were so occupied were not benefited.

That is the point of John compounding his statement so those seeking glory through men and their works could not worm out of; leaving any honest hearted person profoundly shocked into where they were headed in following some person claiming to know the scriptures, and frankly it should shock us back into a reality that none of us can stop sinning unless God himself acts from his own kindness.

Rom. 7:24 What a wretched man I am! Who will deliver me out of the body of this death?
7:25 I thank God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! So then with the mind, I myself serve God's law, but with the flesh, the sin's law.

The gift of God is open to all of us, not through us to others, we do not give anyone a gift of God by any teaching, now do we? Why then boast in a religion as truth? The gift of God greatest love for us is his Son Christ Jesus who's life, and righteousness redeems us from judgment deserved for sinning. Now remembering sin is not little things, it cuts us off from a personal relationship with God and his Son that we cannot know by teaching from the bible or a religion unless we can be made into a non-sinner by God's power.

Titus. 3:3 For we were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.
3:4 But when the kindness of God our Savior and his love toward mankind appeared,
3:5 not by works of righteousness, which we did ourselves, but according to his mercy, he saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,
3:6 whom he poured out on us richly, through Jesus Christ our Savior;
3:7 that, being justified by his grace, we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
3:8 This saying is faithful, and concerning these things I desire that you affirm confidently, so that those who have believed God may be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men;

The power to take away our sins is in the indestructible life of Christ Jesus not anyone, anything, or any bible! That is why we teach nothing but the Christ ,and not ourselves, and our glorious work we are doing for God on earth, or what a religion is doing, none of that is God's power for sinners, none of that teaches us the truth of Spirit in Christ. If we are not leading those we teach to the source that takes away sins, so they can come to know God, we are teaching falsehoods that will end in our own judgment of stumbling others, which ends in a milestone upon our own neck.

1 Corinthians 1:3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 1:7 so that you come behind in no gift; waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ; 1:8 who will also confirm you until the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 1:10 Now I beg you, brothers,{The word for "brothers" here and where context allows may also be correctly translated "brothers and sisters" or "siblings."} through the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfected together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

1 Corinthians 1:12 Now I mean this, that each one of you says, "I follow Paul," "I follow Apollos," "I follow Cephas," and, "I follow Christ."

1 Corinthians 1:24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.

Matthew 18:7 "Woe to the world because of occasions of stumbling! For it must be that the occasions come, but woe to that person through whom the occasion comes!

Christ life is given freely so our sins are not accounted against us, once for all time, not some time, on a good day, why? Because it is God the Kings legal judgment that once Christ shed his blood as our passover lamb it was enough power to redeem the whole human race forever. Those that set up works of law religion by doling out forgiveness by measure, that is, by how you meet some standard of their religion and/or their own judgment withholding the free gift of God's undeserved kindness from others for payment. They like Judas covet the treasure box for themselves, those taking God's greatest treasure to mankind and doling it out are self-seeking and self-serving like Judas whom deny the power of Christ for money.

Matt.18:22 Jesus said to him, "I don't tell you until seven times, but, until seventy times seven.
18:23 Therefore the Kingdom of Heaven is like a certain king, who wanted to reconcile accounts with his servants.
18:24 When he had begun to reconcile, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.{Ten thousand talents represents an extremely large sum of money, equivalent to about 60,000,000 denarii, where one denarius was typical of one day's wages for agricultural labor.}
18:25 But because he couldn't pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, with his wife, his children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.
18:26 The servant therefore fell down and kneeled before him, saying, 'Lord, have patience with me, and I will repay you all!'
18:27 The lord of that servant, being moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.
18:28 "But that servant went out, and found one of his fellow servants, who owed him one hundred denarii,{100 denarii was about one sixtieth of a talent.} and he grabbed him, and took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!'
18:29 "So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will repay you!'
18:30 He would not, but went and cast him into prison, until he should pay back that which was due.
18:31 So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were exceedingly sorry, and came and told to their lord all that was done.
18:32 Then his lord called him in, and said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt, because you begged me.
18:33 Shouldn't you also have had mercy on your fellow servant, even as I had mercy on you?'
18:34 His lord was angry, and delivered him to the tormentors, until he should pay all that was due to him.
18:35 So my heavenly Father will also do to you, if you don't each forgive your brother from your hearts for his misdeeds."

A lack of faith in the power of Christ life which all false religion teaches by placing power in their own understanding of God's word robs the Christ as thieves for personal glory in making their own flesh clean by works of law. No man, no angel, no religion can take away God's gift of love for us, unless we don't love God for it. It should be enough to have that gift, not to dimishes it for mundane things people do in their flesh as making them a better person a so called less sinner that misses the mark of God's glory Christ Jesus!

Rom. 10:2 For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.
10:3 For being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, they didn't subject themselves to the righteousness of God.
10:4 For Christ is the fulfillment{or, completion, or end} of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
10:5 For Moses writes about the righteousness of the law, "The one who does them will live by them."{Leviticus 18:5}
10:6 But the righteousness which is of faith says this, "Don't say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?'{Deuteronomy 30:12} (that is, to bring Christ down);
10:7 or, 'Who will descend into the abyss?'{Deuteronomy 30:13} (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead.)"
10:8 But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth, and in your heart;"{Deuteronomy 30:14} that is, the word of faith, which we preach:
10:9 that if you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
10:10 For with the heart, one believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Rom.8:31 What then shall we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
8:32 He who didn't spare his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how would he not also with him freely give us all things?
8:33 Who could bring a charge against God's chosen ones? It is God who justifies.
8:34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, yes rather, who was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.
8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Could oppression, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
8:36 Even as it is written, "For your sake we are killed all day long. We were accounted as sheep for the slaughter."{Psalm 44:22}
8:37 No, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
8:38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,
8:39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.